It was founded in 1014, avowedly to stem the flow of trade travelling through the subsector that "threatened its way of life." In reality the state was an extortion racket set up to milk protection money from passing ships and local companies. The plot fell through about a decade later, when the Imperium refused to give it formal diplomatic recognition, and the local planetary militias, with Avalaran support, overthrew the government. Despite the passing of the old regime, the Empire remains a delightfully corrupt place, further fed by the massive expansion of trade with the Regency.